Islamabad: Rising tobacco and nicotine use among Pakistan’s youth, especially around educational institutions, emerged as the central concern at a national review session on tobacco control held by the Aurat Foundation in Islamabad.
Participants from Parliament, government departments, health organizations, and civil society warned that easy availability of cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches, and flavored tobacco near schools is creating a growing public health threat. The discussion also pointed to a noticeable increase in tobacco use among women, indicating a shifting trend.
The session called for stronger legislation, faster policy action, and strict enforcement to counter the rapid spread of emerging nicotine products. Speakers emphasized that existing laws remain poorly implemented due to procedural delays, weak monitoring, and limited coordination between federal and provincial bodies.
The need for clear parental awareness, community engagement, and better recognition of new nicotine products was highlighted as an essential part of early prevention. Officials noted that families and schools often remain unaware of modern products marketed to young people.
Technical briefings identified major enforcement gaps and policy loopholes that allow the tobacco industry to expand its reach. Participants noted that companies are increasingly using social media trends, entertainment content, and youth-focused marketing to promote vaping in urban areas.
Government representatives reaffirmed ongoing federal efforts to implement the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002 and to tighten regulations where required. Provincial representatives also announced plans to introduce new resolutions to strengthen tobacco control.
Education sector officials raised alarms over the rise of nicotine products around private institutions and called for tougher regulatory checks. Regulatory authorities stressed the need for a broader social movement to counter tobacco use nationwide.
Closing the event, the Aurat Foundation reiterated its commitment to evidence-based advocacy, cross-sector collaboration, and long-term public awareness initiatives aimed at building a healthier, tobacco-free society.By Syed Irfan Haider Sherazi
The situation in Afghanistan is bleak after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. After Taliban took over Afghanistan, where mismanagement was rampant, hunger, poverty and the normal life of the citizens were severely affected. The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating day by day.
Every citizen of Afghanistan is anxious to leave the country. People knew from day one that the situation was not going to stabilize when the Taliban came to power. Seeing the Americans leaving the country last year, people tried to flee the country in large numbers.
Currently, the situation in Afghanistan is at its worst in the world. The economy is in shambles because it has no money to buy food and pay its employees. There is even no satisfactory support or assistance from foreign countries because they have conflicts with the de facto rulers, the Taliban.
Afghans are already facing extreme levels of hunger and malnutrition. People do not have money to buy food and medicine for sick family members. The most worrying thing is that in the coming days this situation is predicted to get worse.
Afghans have a big problem with their education. From day one, the Taliban government has introduced various ambiguous education policies, especially for girls’ education. Due to frustrating policies most students are absent from universities and it seems that students are not interested in their studies anymore.
“I don’t know if they will come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” Noor-ur-Rehman Afzali, a professor at Panjshir University, told Al Jazeera. One of the reasons behind this is lack of daily bread and butter and how can people with this problem afford education. It is difficult to fill the brain with words on an empty stomach.
Recently, a report came out that an entire village is suffering from extreme poverty. They are selling their kidneys for a few bucks to run their kitchens. It’s really scary and horrible. From this we can gauge the level of hunger of the Afghan people.
According to Dawn newspaper report, in a village in Herat, Seshanba Bazaar, the majority of villagers sold their kidneys to pay off their debts and run their kitchens. Five brothers from the same family sold their kidneys. “We are still in debt and as poor as before,” said Ghulam Nabi, showing his scar.
After the Taliban took over, the price of a kidney has been dropped to US$1500 (which is approximately 135,000 afghan currency) from around US$3000 to $3500. People are desperate to sell their organs because they have no other option of making money. They are not concerned about their health or the dangers of kidney transplants, as in other countries or developed countries the patient is monitored regularly after a kidney transplant.
Organ trafficking was illegal before the Taliban took power, but the black market erupted when people sank into extreme poverty. They started selling their organs openly to feed their children.
Along with the sale of organs, the people of Afghanistan are doing even more inhuman things to meet the demand for bread and butter. There are reports that parents who cannot afford to feed their children are selling their daughters for marriage and to those parents who do not have children.
Maulvi Naeemullah Haqqani, Herat’s director of culture and information, said people made such statements to seek outside help, he said that he wants to improve the economic condition of the people.
But the actual situation does not look like the Taliban leaders are trying to portray.
Recently, President Joe Biden has moved to freeze about $7bn in assets held in US financial institutions by the Afghan central bank. He ordered to give $3.5bn to the Afghanistan and rest of the money will be given to the victims of 9/11 terror attacks in order to give them compensation.
According to the United Nations, 97% of Afghans could fall into poverty. It is estimated by the UN that 59% of Afghanistan’s population (24 million people) live in extreme poverty and need immediate assistance to survive.
Humanitarian agencies from all around the world are sending aid for afghans but that wouldn’t be enough as a long term economic source is required. For how long people of Afghanistan will rely on aid from foreign.
The people of Afghan are also human like others, they also need a proper life style, they need a good and healthy meal, they need education and training, they need mental health and satisfaction about a normal life.
Aid from others will only help to eat a meal and fill the stomach but it won’t help or assist to live a normal and a standard life. The entire world community should be concerned about the coming major humanitarian crisis. The de facto rulers of Afghanistan need to formulate appropriate policies to avoid this humanitarian crisis.
(Syed Irfan Haider Sherazi, is a student of Mass Communication in National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. He writes on social issues, politics and international affairs. He can be reached at irfanhaider4567@gmail.com)
